Category: Home Landscapes

Spent tomato leaves add mulch underneath a Seminole pumpkin vine.

Chop and Drop Gardening: Turning Plant Waste into Healthy Soil

by Lauren Spaduzzi
May 29, 2026

Nature doesn’t waste nutrients, and your garden doesn’t have to either! What is ‘chop and drop’ gardening? Chop and drop gardening involves ‘chopping’ plant material, and then ‘dropping’ it in place, where it decomposes naturally ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Central Florida, Chop And Drop, Compost, Florida, Florida-friendly Landscaping, Garden, Gardening, Home Landscapes, Mulch, Uf/ifas Extension, Vegetable Gardening
Everglades tomato fruits

Growing Everglades Tomato

by Tia Saracino
May 26, 2026

Everglades tomato is a wild type of current tomato that thrives in Florida's hot humid summers. The small red fruits, about the size of a dime, are abundant and tasty. This is an indeterminate type of tomato and can easily grow 6 to 10 feet ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Central Florida, Edible Landscaping, Everglades Tomato, Florida-friendly Landscaping, Fruit And Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Tomato, Vegetable Gardening, Video
Citrus tree with fruit

Growing Citrus in the Florida Home Landscape

by Tia Saracino
May 25, 2026

Growing citrus in your home landscape is challenging. The citrus disease greening affects much of the citrus in Florida and requires extra attention to insect management and fertilization. Getting Started with CitrusIf you are ready to plant ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Citrus Fruits And Vegetables, Florida-friendly Landscaping, Food Forest, Garden, Hillsborough County, Home Landscapes, Orange, Tsilvasy, Video
Seminole pumpkin

Growing Seminole Pumpkin in Florida: From Seed to Harvest to Table

by Tia Saracino
May 19, 2026

Growing Seminole Pumpkin in Florida pumpkin is a great vegetable to grow in Florida's summer heat because it is heat tolerant. It's an heirloom vegetable that dates back to the native American times you can save the seeds from year to year. ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Florida-friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Pumpkin, Roasting Pumpkin, Seed Saving, Vegetable, Vegetable Gardening
row of collard greens

Growing Collard Greens in the Florida Vegetable Garden

by Tia Saracino
April 25, 2026

Growing Collards Collard greens are an easy to grow long lasting vegetable. Plant from seed or transplant in the spring and they will grow into the heat of summer. You can continually harvest the lower leaves and have fresh greens to add ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Collard, Florida Friendly, Greens, Home Landscapes, Vegetable Gardening
Landscape with a palm tree

Are You Over-Pruning Your Palms?

by Tia Saracino
March 29, 2026

The Big Misunderstanding: “Do not prune above 9 and 3 on a clock” was guidance intended as an absolute pruning limit. “Pruning to 9 and 3” as a standard was never the goal. Over time, it has been misinterpreted as the correct way ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Fertilizer, Florida Friendly, Home Landscapes, Palm, Palm Trees, Pruning

How Florida Residents Can Conserve Water and Keep Great Landscapes

by Michael J. Masucci
March 9, 2026

In Florida's sunshine and heat, every drop of water counts, especially during our dry spring months. That is why Hillsborough County has recognized April as Water Conservation Month since 2013, reminding residents that sustainable landscaping ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: BeautifulYardsLessWater, DroughtTolerantGardening, EveryDropCounts, FloridaEnvironment, FloridaFriendlyLandscaping, HillsboroughCounty, NativePlantsFlorida, SaveWater, SmartIrrigation, Water Conservation
Photo of woods

Success Story: Invasive Plant Removal at Carrollwood Village Park

by Tia Saracino
February 23, 2026

  On Sunday February 8, 2026 the project broke ground. UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County and Hillsborough County Parks teamed up for a 1.1-acre woodlands restoration project at Carrollwood Village Park thanks to a grant funded ... READ MORE

Category: , Conservation, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Carrollwood, Grant, Hillsborough County, Restoration, Tampa, Woodlands

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